The Neglected
by epicpixie
Summary: My first story, please read, and let me know what you think :


**The Neglected **

She desperately did not want to be here, especially when her mother walked through the door. Her day was already going bad enough as far as Eva was concerned. First, she missed the bus, which had made her late for class, which resulted with another detention. A detention that landed her right where she was now; sitting in the office with her mother walking through the door.

"What am I suppose to do Eva? I was supposed to be working a double, but instead I'm here." Her mother said with the look of frustration written all over her face.

Eva stared at the woman whom she came from. Her mother was thin, 5' 4" and had the same pale skin and green eyes as her. In fact much to Eva's dismay, she looked like a shorter, red haired version of her mother. The same mother that just basically admitted her job was more important than she was.

Her mother turned to the principal and asked, "What happened this time?" Then went back to looking at Eva as if she had just committed the worst crime.

"Same as last time, another fight. I'm sorry Miss. Young but your daughter is being suspended for three weeks due to the damage she has caused." Her mother sighed that obvious kind that she knew all too well.

'This isn't going to end well' thought Eva, and then she decided to speak up. "Well I'm done with this school; it's a waste of time. It's not like I'm learning anything with how often I'm in this office." She paused to look at her mother and then continued. "Besides we're moving. Right mom? In a month." She said it with her favourite look of 'snarkyness' as her mother calls it.

"Hmm Eva, well that is still no reason to be acting this." To the principal she asked, "What will I need to get for her transfer?" She shot him a glance of exhaustion and embarrassment.

"I'll get them sorted out for the next week, so you can pick them up." He said as he wrote a few things down on his pad of paper with the school letterhead on it. "If that will be all then I should be getting back to work." He continued as he turned his head in a manner that obviously stated he was all done with this meeting.

The drive home was silent, neither trusting themselves to speak as they would probably yell. During Eva's three weeks off, she packed up the house while her mother was at work. Eva was barely allowed out of the house during the time she was suspended. When it came closer to the time they were going to leave her mother did allow her to get out of the house to say her goodbyes to both her city, and her friends. Going back to school for her last week, she was actually happy to be out of what she considered 'house arrest', and able to freely hangout with people.

At the end of late January, Eva and her mother were packed up and on their way to Springfield, Missouri. It was a place that was supposed to be a new start. A place where mother and daughter would make their final stand in the world. Springfield was a metropolis compared to the small dead end town she was used too. There were so many lights and streets. As they drove down what she figured to be the main street, she noticed all the people walking around with busy steps and a look of complete success.

What were they doing here she wondered. It seemed like another planet and they were the aliens. How would she ever fit in to a place that clearly was cultured and driven? Eva was so used to the simple life of her mother settling for whatever shift she could get at the local family diner. She always knew her mom could be more. She had heard her sing in the shower and had done quite well at the next town over karaoke bar. That wasn't her only talent though. She used to paint. The kind of paintings that made you weep from the passion she put in to her work. Since her father had passed, that all stopped. In fact that is pretty much when everything Eva loved stopped.

So she had started acting out, finding it the only way to get her mother to pay any attention to her. But Eva wanted to believe that with the new life her mother was claiming that they would have, she would be able to have some understanding at least with her mother again. When they had pulled up to the new house she saw that maybe she would get her wish. It was a simple house, as she expected, but it had some charm to it. To make it better though, it was all theirs.

"How are we going to afford all of this mom?" asked Eva, not knowing completely why they had moved there in the first place.

Eva's mother smiled, "I sent in some of my old paintings, and there is a guy here that bought them. He wants me to work for him as one of his artists." She sighed then said, "I'm finally getting a chance to do something I love, and Eva it will be a great start for us I think. I'll have more time to spend with you, and you'll be going to a great school."

For the next few days, Eva and her mother spent their time moving into the new house and getting a feel of the neighbourhood that they were living in now. During this time, Eva had made a new friend that only lived a few doors down and was going to the same school as her. Her mother was feeling like this was going to be a good new start for them. However, she knew that she still had to find a way to get her daughter back to communicating with her.

Eva had started getting into a routine, going to school, homework, and making supper. She had already noticed that her mother yet again was never home. For the first time since she could remember it was because she was at the studio. It still didn't stop the resentment of being alone. "This is just like last time. She is NEVER home, she is always working." Eva said to her new friend Jennifer who was over at her house.

"Well she does have a job Eva. Also it's not like she doesn't try to be home but you never want to stay around when she is home." Said Jennifer with a certain wisdom of a mature woman stuck in a teenager's body. "Besides we have work to do, so maybe it's best that she isn't here standing over us making sure we actually DO work."

"Eva I'm home." Her mother yelled as she walked through the door. "Why hello!" she said with a pleasant smile on her face. "Eva never said she was having a friend over."

"Mom." Said Eva clearly embarrassed. "This is my friend Jennifer, she lives only a few houses down. She's over so that we can work on are project for school."

"Hello, Ms. Young." Jennifer said comfortably. "We are working on a psychology project. It's about nature vs. nurture." She continued.

"Alright girls, Jennifer would you like to stay for supper?" Asked Eva's mother looking at the girls retreating upstairs. "I can make chicken or something else if you like."

"Supper would be nice thank you, and chicken is fine." Said Jennifer, then turning to Eva "Your mother is nice, I don't see why you two don't get along."

Eva and Jennifer went upstairs to the sitting room to start working on their project; when Eva looked over at her new found friend. "It's not that we don't get along, we get along fine. It's just that there never seems to be time to talk. You know, mother daughter type stuff. After my father died, it just seemed like she just didn't want to deal with anything and started working more shifts. But now, she is doing something she likes which is great and all, but she still doesn't have any time for me you know?"

"Yeah, I understand that" she said "I used to have my mom all to myself until she met my stepdad and had 2 more kids. It sucked at first sharing, but it is a fact of life. I know the youngest kids require more attention and she is usually exhausted from the day. It's not the same as it used to be and yes sometimes it seems that she is acting different towards me, but she still makes time for me. Maybe you need to find something that you and your mom can do together that you both enjoy. Like my mom and I still see movies together sometimes, or we just go out to dinner. Can't you try something like that, I mean it won't clear the water but it will get you to talking a little right?"

"True maybe it will work, but right now we should probably get this project done. Eva sighed. She was exhausted from the conversation so changing the subject was in order. "Which do you think? Nature or nurture?"

For the next few nights, Eva made the point of waiting for her mom to come home and asking about her day, and in return her mom ask her about hers. Her mother was getting suspicious, but she liked the fact that they were making small talk. Since they haven't really talked about anything in a long time. When she got a day off of work she told Eva that she would pick her up from school, and take her out somewhere for supper, so Eva could have the night off of cooking. Her mother thought it would be a nice jester since her daughter was obviously trying so hard to repair the hole that had come between them.

They had a relatively peaceful dinner, neither saying too much. About half way through the meal Eva decided to tell her mother what had been on her mind. She started with the fact that her mother always seemed to be working and that left her feeling left out and alone. She continued by telling her she understood that her mom really needed and liked the job that she was doing, but that she still wished that she could have more time instead of her mother doing overtime work. Her mother had replied that she hadn't meant for Eva to feel second but she had taken the extra shifts, at first to pay the bills but then out of habit. She didn't know what to do without those extra hours and was afraid that even though she didn't need them now she would somehow feel the pain of losing her husband, Eva's dad. That admission sent Eva for a whirl. This was the first time they had really talked about her father passing. They spent hours laughing and crying about him. Eva was finally feeling a sense of peace now that she had finally told her mother what she was thinking. She looked into her mother's eyes and saw something amazing. Her eyes were finally twinkling. They had done it! They had finally said what should have been said long ago. Her mother hugged her tighter than she ever had.

"I am so sorry I didn't talk to you." She said to Eva as she held her tighter. "I denied you the chance to see me feel. To let us bond and get through this together. I promise that from now on I will treat you as the wonderful angel that I created from scratch and I hope you continue to keep trusting me with your emotions."

They sat in that restaurant for what seemed like a lifetime. In a way it was...


End file.
